What Are the Essential Elements in All Instruction of Sensuous Truths?
Key Concept: Sensuous truths consist in seeing everything as having been created by God, seeing everything as having been created for a purpose, and seeing an image of the Lord's heavenly kingdom in all things of creation (Arcana Coelestia 1434).
Sensuous truth consists in seeing all earthly and worldly things as being created by God, and each and everything for a purpose, and in all things whatsoever a certain image of God's kingdom (Arcana Coelestia 1434).
All things whatever that are in the external man, are nothing but things of service, that is, they are for the service of the internal man. So it is with all memory-knowledges, which belong solely to the external man; for they are procured from earthly and worldly things by means of sensuous impressions, in order that they may serve the interior or rational man, and this the spiritual man, this the celestial, and this the Lord. Thus are they subordinated one to another, as are the more external things to the more internal, in their order; and thus all things whatever, both in general and in particular, are, in their order, subordinated to the Lord. Memory-knowledges are therefore the lowest and outermost things, in which are terminated in their order the things that are more interior; and because they are the lowest and outermost things, they must be pre-eminently things of service. Every one may know for what such knowledges may be serviceable if he reflects or inquires in himself for what use they are; and when he is thus reflecting upon their use, he can also apprehend the quality of the use. Every memory-knowledge must be for the sake of some use, and this is its service (Arcana Coelestia 1486).
When man is being instructed, there is a progression from memory-knowledges to rational truths; further, to intellectual truths; and finally, to celestial truths…. If the progression is made from memory-knowledges and rational truths to celestial truths without intellectual truths as media, the celestial suffers violence, because there can be no connection of rational truths which are obtained by means of memory-knowledges—with celestial truths, except by means of intellectual truths, which are the media… [2] The order is for the celestial to inflow into the spiritual and adapt it to itself; for the spiritual thus to inflow into the rational and adapt it to itself; and for the rational thus to inflow into the memory-knowledge and adapt it to itself. But when a man is being instructed in his earliest childhood, the order is indeed the same, but it appears otherwise, namely, that he advances from memory-knowledges to rational things, from these to spiritual things, and so at last to celestial things. The reason it so appears is that a way must thus be opened to celestial things, which are the inmost. All instruction is simply an opening of the way; and as the way is opened, or what is the same, as the vessels are opened, there thus flow in, as before said, in their order, rational things that are from celestial spiritual things; into these flow the celestial spiritual things; and into these celestial things (Arcana Coelestia 1495:1-2).
The rational cannot possibly be conceived and born, that is, formed, apart from scientifics and cognitions; but these knowledges must have use as their end, for all life belongs to uses, because it belongs to ends, and therefore unless knowledges are learned for the sake of a life of uses, they are of no moment, because of no use…. [2] They who learn knowledges in order that they may be perfected in the faith of love—for true and real faith is love to the Lord and toward the neighbor—are in the use of all uses, and receive spiritual and celestial life from the Lord; and when they are in this life, they have a capacity to perceive all things of the Lord's kingdom (Arcana Coelestia 1964:1-2).
The historical parts [of the Word] have been given in order that infants and children may thereby be initiated into the reading of the Word; for the historical parts are delightful, and rest in their minds, whereby communication is given them with the heavens; and this communication is pleasant, because they are in a state of innocence and mutual charity (Arcana Coelestia 6333:4).
What Are the Essential Elements in All Instruction of Sensuous Truths?
Key Concept: Sensuous truths consist in seeing everything as having been created by God, seeing everything as having been created for a purpose, and seeing an image of the Lord's heavenly kingdom in all things of creation (Arcana Coelestia 1434).
Sensuous truth consists in seeing all earthly and worldly things as being created by God, and each and everything for a purpose, and in all things whatsoever a certain image of God's kingdom (Arcana Coelestia 1434).
All things whatever that are in the external man, are nothing but things of service, that is, they are for the service of the internal man. So it is with all memory-knowledges, which belong solely to the external man; for they are procured from earthly and worldly things by means of sensuous impressions, in order that they may serve the interior or rational man, and this the spiritual man, this the celestial, and this the Lord. Thus are they subordinated one to another, as are the more external things to the more internal, in their order; and thus all things whatever, both in general and in particular, are, in their order, subordinated to the Lord. Memory-knowledges are therefore the lowest and outermost things, in which are terminated in their order the things that are more interior; and because they are the lowest and outermost things, they must be pre-eminently things of service. Every one may know for what such knowledges may be serviceable if he reflects or inquires in himself for what use they are; and when he is thus reflecting upon their use, he can also apprehend the quality of the use. Every memory-knowledge must be for the sake of some use, and this is its service (Arcana Coelestia 1486).
When man is being instructed, there is a progression from memory-knowledges to rational truths; further, to intellectual truths; and finally, to celestial truths…. If the progression is made from memory-knowledges and rational truths to celestial truths without intellectual truths as media, the celestial suffers violence, because there can be no connection of rational truths which are obtained by means of memory-knowledges—with celestial truths, except by means of intellectual truths, which are the media… [2] The order is for the celestial to inflow into the spiritual and adapt it to itself; for the spiritual thus to inflow into the rational and adapt it to itself; and for the rational thus to inflow into the memory-knowledge and adapt it to itself. But when a man is being instructed in his earliest childhood, the order is indeed the same, but it appears otherwise, namely, that he advances from memory-knowledges to rational things, from these to spiritual things, and so at last to celestial things. The reason it so appears is that a way must thus be opened to celestial things, which are the inmost. All instruction is simply an opening of the way; and as the way is opened, or what is the same, as the vessels are opened, there thus flow in, as before said, in their order, rational things that are from celestial spiritual things; into these flow the celestial spiritual things; and into these celestial things (Arcana Coelestia 1495:1-2).
The rational cannot possibly be conceived and born, that is, formed, apart from scientifics and cognitions; but these knowledges must have use as their end, for all life belongs to uses, because it belongs to ends, and therefore unless knowledges are learned for the sake of a life of uses, they are of no moment, because of no use…. [2] They who learn knowledges in order that they may be perfected in the faith of love—for true and real faith is love to the Lord and toward the neighbor—are in the use of all uses, and receive spiritual and celestial life from the Lord; and when they are in this life, they have a capacity to perceive all things of the Lord's kingdom (Arcana Coelestia 1964:1-2).
The historical parts [of the Word] have been given in order that infants and children may thereby be initiated into the reading of the Word; for the historical parts are delightful, and rest in their minds, whereby communication is given them with the heavens; and this communication is pleasant, because they are in a state of innocence and mutual charity (Arcana Coelestia 6333:4).
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